Annual "Most Handsome Monk Contest" took place in Japane (VIDEO)

apanese monks competed based on their inner beauty at a funeral expo to compete in the second annual "Most Handsome Monk Contest" on Monday.

Spectators voted for the monk who was the most inspiring after the finalists walked on a runway, answered questions in a Q&A session, and performed in a talent show that included the participating monks' karate chops and meditation.

Five participants were scheduled to compete, but two could not make it due to the typhoon that hit central Tokyo earlier that day.

Aigen Yokoyama, a monk from Chiba prefecture and an avid karate practitioner, split 10 layers of cement tiles with his hand, a skill he mastered from his time at a sports college.

Renka Haseo, a monk and radio DJ from Aichi prefecture, presented a snippet of his radio show; and the first ever female participant of the contest, Koyu Osawa from Tokyo, led the audience of about 40 into a peaceful, meditative state.

Though many were impressed by Yokoyama's agility, and entertained by Haseo's radio program, the majority of the votes went to Osawa.

About 90 million people in Japan consider themselves Buddhists, however many aspects of the religion do not affect their everyday lives. Japanese people usually meet monks during new years' to pray or to ward off evil, or at funerals.

The organizer of the contest, Kazuma Hayashi, who is the head of a Buddhist funeral service company, said he wanted people to become more attuned to Buddhism in their everyday lives..

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